


What’re You In For?

by Resistance



Category: Country Music RPF, NASCAR RPF
Genre: Gen, Jail, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-06
Updated: 2014-05-19
Packaged: 2018-01-23 20:25:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1578392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Resistance/pseuds/Resistance
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kasey makes a new friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Though the circumstances around the assault charges are true, that is all that is true about this piece.
> 
> This is set in November of 2008, in Homestead, Florida.

“What’re you in for?”

For a second, he didn’t realize the man was speaking to him. It was one of those questions you hear in movies but that people don’t say in real life. And certainly not to him. This was not him at all. He’d hung out with enough guys that had spent time in jail before, but he didn’t need to know why or really care as long as they could do their jobs, which they always did. He didn’t really do a lot of checks on things like that for his people, people deserved to prove themselves themselves, not with a piece of paper that listed their mistakes. It was funny that he was sitting there hoping that people were going to think the same about him if this didn’t turn out the way it was supposed to.

The man was still looking at him. Or at least he thought he was looking at him, but since his eyes were hidden behind dark shades, it was hard to tell. He figured that was the point of them. Other than the glasses, he looked like the kind of guy you might find in a jail cell. He had a hat pulled down low, but the logo on the front was nothing he’d ever seen. He was just scruffy enough that it looked like shaving wasn’t a top priority in his life. He wore cut up jeans and a leather jacket. And boots. He wasn’t out of place in Florida, though even in November, it was far too hot to wear leather. In Miami, it was too hot to wear anything, but that would have been a whole other reason to be sitting in a jail cell.

Part of his brain told him to look away and not say anything. He had never been in this situation before and he honestly didn’t know what would get him in more trouble. Another part of his brain said that ignoring the unsavory character probably wasn’t a good idea either. He cleared his throat, “Uh.... well... assault. But I didn’t---” He stopped himself, maybe it wasn’t a bad idea for the other man to know that he wasn’t the kind of guy he should mess around with. His face wasn’t giving that impression, maybe his words could. Maybe. “I didn’t kill the guy or anything.”

The other man snorted a laugh, “Right.” He had a thick drawl that could be nothing but North Carolina. Kasey’d heard it every single day since he’d moved, he could pick it out. “What’re you really in for?” The man was on the verge of laughing. He leaned back against the wall, as if he was perfectly comfortable in the jail cell. Kasey knew that should have been a clue to shut his mouth, but he didn’t like what the man was implying.

“That _is_ what I’m here for!” He insisted, turning now to fully face the man. He was getting mad, but he knew that his own face was betraying himself, he certainly didn’t look like the kind of guy that could assault someone. And he wasn’t! He hadn’t! But that wasn’t the point. He didn’t like that this man was implying that he _couldn’t_. He could if he wanted to. It was just that he didn’t want to. That sounded even more embarrassing in his own mind than it would have outloud and he was very thankful he didn’t say it. He made a mental note to tell Kale that he’d managed this on his own. If he did manage it.

“Oh yeah? Who’d you assault? A two-year-old?” The man was laughing again and Kasey felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. What was it about this guy that was just setting him off? He didn’t know, he was used to the North Carolina attitude, he’d been living there long enough. There was something else about this guy and it was starting to make him wonder if he _could_ be violent.

He opened his mouth to reply but then closed it. Was was he supposed to say? ‘No, I supposedly pushed over this old guy who just wants my money’? He had never been in jail before, but even he knew that you didn’t admit something that stupid. Especially to someone that looked like they might be waiting for their murder trial to begin. He cleared his throat, “None of your business. What about you?” He tried to make that sound as casual as he could, but even he knew he had failed. He wouldn’t be telling Kale about this conversation after all.

The man scoffed and tilted his head in a way that made it more than clear he’d just rolled his eyes, despite the fact that Kasey couldn’t see them. “Possession,” he scoffed again, as if that was quite possibly the stupidest thing to be arrested for in the history of modern crime. Kasey knew that no matter how curious he was, he couldn’t ask him exactly _what_ he possessed that got him arrested. The man shook his head, “Not even intent. I didn’t even have a full fuckin’ ounce, this is such bullshit. Jason’s right, there’s nothin’ worthwhile ‘bout this fuckin’ place. He--” The man stopped and fixed his eyes on Kasey, tilting his head to the side as if that would help him see better.

The only thought going through Kasey’s head in that moment was ‘oh crap, here it comes’. That’s the look of someone that was trying to place the face with a name. Kasey tensed as the man stood up and took a couple steps towards him, but he would not back up anything. He just watched him. This could be a good thing or a bad thing, he knew well. Most of the time it was good, but if the word ‘Daytona’ came out of the man’s mouth, he wasn’t responsible for his actions. Maybe it was just being in Florida again that made him a little oversensitive about that. It wasn’t getting penalized, it was getting caught.

“I swear I know you from somewhere.” The man starting to walk a circle around him and Kasey was sure that any moment now he was going to kick his tires. “What do you do?”

The question threw Kasey off, or rather the tone of his voice when he asked it threw him off. He wasn’t asking what he did for a living, he knew that much. He was asking about a very different kind of ‘do’, something Kasey did not want to be talking about with a total stranger in a jail cell. He wished he had a smartass remark, but that was much more Kale’s domain, not his. “I’m---”

“Wait.” The man had somehow gotten behind him and the exclamation made Kasey whip around to face him. He had lifted up his glasses and met his eyes. “You’re that kid. Kahne. You look older in person.”

Kasey made a face, “I’m not a kid, and yeah, that’s me.”

“Drunk drivin’?”

“No, I told you. Assault. Actually, I think they said they’re gonna charge me with battery, but I’m not sure what the difference is.” There was a very loud voice in the back of his head that was screaming at him to shut up especially now that this guy knew his name. If by some grace of God, they could get this whole thing swept under the carpet, the last thing he needed was someone that could go to the press and sell their story. “It’s obviously not true,” he added quickly.

“Obviously. Who’d you assault?” He took his seat again, the glasses staying up on top of his hat, the man’s eyes locked tightly on Kasey. His eyes were very dark, so brown they almost looked black. It was very unnerving to have dark eyes that big focused so intently on him. Kasey found himself wishing that he’d put the glasses back down. He supposed he could have looked away, but for some reason that didn’t seem like something he wanted to do.

“I didn’t assault anyone,” he protested.

The man chuckled a little and Kasey found his cheeks flushing. He wasn’t sure if it was embarrassment or something else that was coloring his cheeks and he really didn’t want to think about it in the face of the kind of smile the man had just pulled out of nowhere. “Okay, I’ll bite. Who did they say you assaulted?”

“The whole thing is ridiculous!” Kasey starting pacing, running a hand over his hair, “I was just-- It’s-- I mean I _know_ he’s just trying to get money! I didn’t put a hand on him! He probably always wanted to be a cop and this is his little bit of power, but it’s crazy! I mean did he think I stole _my_ suit and was trying to sneak into my _own_ \--- that’s just stupid!” He paused, looking over to the man, wondering why he hadn’t said anything.

“You think you might wanna finish onna those sentences so I can know what’s goin’ on? Or you havin’ a good time talkin’ to yourself?” He was in no hurry to get the words out through his drawl and in Kasey’s agitated state, it was easily twenty times more annoying that it might have been in any other situation. He was very used to the accent, but this guy was laying it on thick.

Kasey took in a deep breath, “To make a long story short, I left my ID card in the trailer and I was going back there and this---” He took in another breath, “This idiot stopped me and asked for my ID. Okay, fine, that’s his job, but look at me. You recognized me in normal clothes in a jail cell and I’m supposed to believe that this guy at the speedway, who’s job it is to know who belongs and who doesn’t, can’t see that I’m _wearing_ my suit, I’m using their golf cart and I just came off the track. Did I mention I’m _not_ wearing street clothes? I mean come on! So this guy gets all up in my face and says I can’t go by. And I point out that I’m a driver and I don’t _need_ my ID card when he knows my face. And he keeps going on about rules and whatever. And he’s right up in my face and this guy is foul and old and I don’t want him in my space so I think I kinda pushed his shoulder back and the next thing I know he’s flopping around like I hit him with a tire iron and suddenly there are police there and here I am.”

The man stared at him for a moment and then burst out laughing. He opened his mouth to speak, but laughter cut off his words. Kasey glared at him long enough that he could find some composure and catch his breath, “Man, I’ve heard some bullshit stories before, but that one’s off the fuckin’ charts. There’s no fuckin’ way that’s true.”

“It _is_. An’ he’s probably gonna sue me for a million bucks to try to get some easy money. He was _fine_. I didn’t even shove him! I didn’t do anything! A person gets a _little_ fame and everyone tries to come up with a way to get rich off them. I thought mostly I just had to watch out for girls, I didn’t think I’d be involved in this kind of thing!” He sighed, turning the other way to pace along the length of the cell, “I mean it’s not that I’m not grateful for everything I have and where I am, but I just wish people would see me and not dollar signs.” He sighed again, dropping down onto the bench, “Sorry for rambling. You want to tell me your story?”

The man shrugged, “I was--”

“KASEY KENNETH KAHNE! I turn my back for ten minutes and THIS is what you get into?! Ten minutes. I was gonna meet you there in TEN minutes!” The voice echoed off the walls, and for a moment Kasey wondered if he was coming over a loudspeaker. But in truth, his little brother didn’t need electronics to make his voice heard. He never had. Kasey groaned.

“Who called you?” He didn’t look up at him, he didn’t needed to see that he was giving him a disappointed glare.

“Austin saw you get _arrested_. PEOPLE saw you!” Kale shook his head, “What were you doing?!”

The man caught Kasey’s attention for a moment when he snickered, so he gave his answer half looking at him, keeping his brother in his peripheral vision, “Nothing happened, it’s nothing. The guy blew it out of proportion. I didn’t do anything. Did you bail me out?”

“No, I came down here to look at my own brother sitting in jail. Who’s he? D’you make a friend or something? Jailbirds.”

Kasey rolled his eyes just a little, “Yeah, this is my new friend.” He glanced at the man and part of him wished that was true. He knew he’d never see the man again, but he found himself wishing that he somehow could. He didn’t even know his name and somehow he figured that if he had asked, it wouldn’t have mattered, “This is my friend Possession without Intent.” He gestured to the guy outside the bars, “This is my little brother. Can’t you tell?”

“I’ve got one myself,” The man offered, “I could tell. I get a ‘Kenneth’ myself when he’s yellin’.”

“That’s your middle name too?”

“Given first name. I don’t use it. Did you know your initals are---”

“Yes, I know. Thanks for pointing that out. You’re the first one that ever has.” Kasey rolled his eyes a little more fully now. He was relaxed, more himself. Maybe it was something about having Kale around that made him feel comfortable enough to be a smartass to his new ‘friend’.

The man scoffed and was about to speak when an officer unlocked the door, “This way, Mr Kahne, we’ll get you processed and you can leave. Your bail is on the condition that you return to be arraigned on Tuesday, so don’t leave town.”

The rest of the day was a complete blur of signing things and getting lectures from police officers, his younger brother, his older sister, and six different people that he was fairly sure he paid to be slightly nicer to him than that. Okay, he paid them to do exactly what they did, but it was getting old hearing the same lines over and over when all he wanted to do was to lay down in his own bed and pretend the whole thing never happened. Just when he closed his eyes, his brothers voice interrupted the blessed silence.

“Kase, you got a special delivery.”

“Great. I don’t want it.”

“You might want to see this.” His brother held out an envelope with a couple scraps of paper inside it. There was a handwritten note attached to the top.

_Thanks for entertaining me in lockup. Let me return the favor. --Possession Without Intent_

Kasey sat bolt upright, nearly tearing the envelope open. A sudden light dawned on him. He had seen that man before, but in all the other thoughts flying around his head in those hours, he hadn’t placed it. But now he was sure.  Inside he found two front row tickets to a concert to be held just up the road that night. The name on the tickets?

Eric Church.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kasey gets a bit of surprise when he uses those tickets.

Kale had taken every single opportunity to make a snide comment about his ‘jailbird bestie’ since he’d come to bail him out, but after ten or twenty comments, Kasey had stopped listening. He’d had his earbuds in for almost two hours now and had missed the last six comments Kale had made, despite the close quarters of the mobile home. All Kasey could hear was the voice he’d been searching out, the voice that had annoyed him so when he had been locked up, but now… now it held a very different fascination. 

Kasey found out that his ‘jailbird’ friend had a few songs that played on the radio and an album to his name. He’d discovered a Walmart close by and did everything he could to slip in unnoticed. It failed, but he should have known he would in a place as NASCAR crazy as Homestead. He was glad it was only a twenty minute detour to listen to some guy who’d never been behind the wheel of a machine like his tell him exactly what he should have done to place higher. Ever polite, he nodded and thanked the man for his suggestions, which had amounted to the fact that he should drive faster. 

After that, he was able to find the music section without incident and he was glad to discover that news of his arrest hadn’t hit the gossips yet. He had at least another day of peace, he figured. It took a few minutes of searching through the horribly disorganized country music section to find what he had come there for. He found the album and gave half a smile at the cover, it seemed very fitting for the man he’d met in lock up, glass of whiskey and all. He was half surprised that there wasn’t a joint in his other hand. But it was when he flipped the CD over that he nearly dropped it.

Those eyes.

Damn, now he was sure beyond any doubt. That man he’d told his story to, that man sharing the holding tank jail cell with him, was the country singer that had sent him two tickets to that night’s show. He would have been able to pick those eyes out of a million pairs. There was something utterly unmistakable about them. Kasey had heard enough people talk about his own eyes to accept that sometimes that old ‘window to the soul’ cliché was really true. For this man, it was. Even through a photograph, those eyes held him tight, promised things he didn’t want to think about. He bought the CD but kept the album case in the bag. There was only so much of those eyes he could take. 

For the past two hours, he’d been listening to every song on that album. On repeat. And he made a horrible discovery. He couldn’t find a song that he didn’t like. He tried to. He wasn’t sure why, but maybe if the guy wasn’t very good and Kasey could ignore him, those eyes would go away and he could get back to regular life. But he was good and he couldn’t ignore them and he knew that regular life was a thing of the past now. He wanted that to bother him, but instead he found himself getting butterflies at the idea of going to see this guy perform life that night. He tried to reason with himself that he’d just be a face in a sea of people and his ‘friend’ wouldn’t care. But still, the butterflies raged. 

Kale had expected he’d get the other ticket. And that was originally what Kasey had intended, but as the time for the concert drew closer, something in the back of his head was telling him that having his watchdog of a little brother around in this instance was a very bad idea, though he didn’t know why. After what had happened that afternoon, he also knew that Kale wasn’t going to let him go alone without a fight, so instead he had to find a way to lose him in the crowd once they got there. In a t-shirt, jeans and a baseball cap, he looked like one of a thousand other guys at the show, which is exactly what he wanted. In the rush of the gates opening, Kasey slipped down a side hallway and let the mob—including his brother—pass in a rush for the closest pit spot. 

“Hidin’?” The voice made Kasey jump nearly six feet straight up. He whipped around only to be confronted by those same dark glasses blessedly hiding eyes that he still wasn’t sure he could deal with.

“Yeah, actually. Kinda. Trying to lose my brother. You know how they are, right? He--- what’re you doing here? Shouldn’t you be getting ready or something? Don’t musicians have pre-race checks too? Or whatever you call it.” 

Eric laughed, “You gonna let me answer any of that, or you just like hearin’ yourself talk?”

Kasey tried to fight the blush, but damn that man made him so tongue-tied. Instead of making a further fool of himself, he just nodded, hoping that would be enough of an answer to get him off the hook.

“Thought so. We already did sound check an hour ago. An’ I’m here to find you. Dunno why, but I knew I would.” He pushed his glasses up on top of his hat and fixed those damn eyes on Kasey. 

Very much against his will, Kasey met his eyes and was stuck. He knew he was supposed to say something, but words didn’t make a bit of sense in the face of everything that man—that stranger— could convey with a look. All he wanted was to turn and run as fast as he could all the way back to Washington, but he couldn’t move a single muscle, even as the man advanced on him. 

“Why don’t we go somewhere a little more private? You want a drink? You look like you could use one.” Eric turned and walked down the hallway, not waiting to see if Kasey would follow him. He knew he would, Kasey could tell that by his posture. That just made him wish he could prove him wrong, but he couldn’t. His feet moved without his consent, following the man down the hallway at a pace quick enough to catch up to him. 

“So…. Your name is Eric?” Kasey groaned in his head once he heard how utterly stupid that sounded aloud. “You didn’t tell me that. You didn’t tell me who you were.”

“You didn’t ask,” he pointed out. 

Kasey frowned. Usually he wasn’t that rude. He was the last one that like to talk about himself, even in interviews, he put all of his success on his great crew and great cars and great sponsors and great everyone else except himself. That was how he was raised, humble and selfless. But in lockup, he’d been very self-centered. He tried to blame that on distraction, but in his core he knew he’d been very rude. “I’m sorry. I shoulda.”

Eric laughed, “Don’t worry ‘bout it. Y’know I wasn’t sure you’d show up.” He led him into a small dressing room. One side was lined with a huge mirror with bright florescent lights. Kasey looked everywhere by there, he didn’t want to see his own reflection beside this far too attractive man’s. He was afraid he’d like what he saw. He watched the man pour himself a glass of whiskey and then gesture at Kasey with the bottle. Kasey shook his head. He knew he had to keep a clear head around him. Eric shrugged and took a sip from his glass.

“Me either, to be honest. It was a real surprise to get the tickets.” He smiled at him, “But thank you. It was very generous. I’m looking forward to the show.”

Eric raised an eyebrow, “Are you? Do you know my music?”

Kasey fought the blush, “Yeah, sure. I mean what I heard on the radio.” He wasn’t going to tell him that he’d been memorizing his songs against his will for most of the day. He could tell this man had an ego the size of North Carolina and he wasn’t going to help it along. 

“Mmhmm. What’s your favorite?”

Kasey paused for a moment, to considering the question. “I think maybe ‘What I Almost Was’.”

“Yeah, nice try. That ain’t got radio play.” Eric gave him a smirk that Kasey could tell he used far too often and far too well. 

Kasey felt his cheeks get even hotter, “Oh.” He groaned at that brilliant reply. “Well…. I’m sure I’m not the only one who bought your CD. At least I hope for your sake that’s true.”

Eric laughed, “Thankfully it’s true. You’re probably the only one that bought it this afternoon, though.” 

His eyes were locked tight onto Kasey’s without hope of letting him look away. He wanted to lie, but he found that he was utterly incapable of it in the face of those eyes. He wondered, for a moment, what the man was thinking of his own eyes. He’d heard comments about their color all his life, usually complimentary, but occasionally that they were creepy-blue. He was never sure what shade ‘creepy’ was, but he’d heard it more than once, so he assumed other people knew.

“You coulda sent a CD with the tickets.” Kasey smiled a little, proud of himself that he hadn’t said something stupid for once. 

“I bought ya tickets, don’t get greedy, Kahne.” But Eric smiled and Kasey felt relieved to know the man knew a joke when he heard it.

“Did you actually pay money for the tickets?” He asked, finding a smiling playing on his lips.

“No, but that ain’t the point.” He noticed that he drew that line through his accent a few times, just in case Kasey had forgotten what part of the world he came from.

“Then you could have included a CD.” Kasey smiled, adjusting his hat subconsciously, pulling the brim up so it wouldn’t block his vision. And Lord Almighty was the man in front of him bursting out laughing a vision to behold. There was a completely transformation in him when he laughed. He let go of that outlaw exterior and Kasey could see someone that he wanted to get to know. Intimately. 

“A’right, here’s the deal. My next album, I’ll send you a copy. Good enough?” And Kasey knew he meant it, too. 

“Okay, that’s a deal. I had better get to my seat before my brother calls out the National Guard to find me. Every time I go missing for more than five minutes, he thinks I’ve been arrested.” He grinned at Eric, “Little brothers, huh?”

“Annoyin’ pains in the ass, but you gotta love ‘em. He have a cellphone?” Eric’s eyes damn near twinkled with some kind of plan Kasey wasn’t sure he wanted to be a part of, but at the same time, he knew it was the kind of plan he’d enjoy. 

“Yeah, we both do. Why?”

“Text him. Tell him you’re fine an’ you’re gonna stick with me.” 

Kasey’s stomach did flip-flops at that statement, but he obediently took out his cellphone and texted Kale: _I’m fine. Found my friend. Don’t worry_. Even as he typed it, he knew Kale would worry and he wouldn’t like it. He also remembered the two security guards they’d passed to get backstage so he knew even if he tried Kale couldn’t follow him. He found himself smiling at the idea of the guards asking him for ID he didn’t have.

“What’s funny?” Eric asked.

“Just thinking. If Kale tries to come back here, which he would try. He doesn’t have ID.”

“I hear that can get you arrested if you ain’t careful.”

Kasey scoffed, “That couldn’t possibly be true.”

Eric laughed again and Kasey felt a surge of pride. The man didn’t seem like the type that laughed a lot and Kasey had made it happen twice in a short amount of time. He wanted to do it again, if just to see the way his eyes got a full shade lighter when he gave an honest smile. He was about to say something else when the phone in his hand beeped.

_NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!_

Kasey laughed, “My brother thinks this is a wonderful idea.” He showed the screen to Eric who gave a chuckle that sent shivers up and down Kasey’s spine. “So…. Where am I going to watch the show from?”

Eric smirked, “Backstage.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The concert is not what Kasey expected.

The next few hours were an absolute whirlwind for Kasey.

Half the time, he found himself just trying to keep up with Eric, who had gone into show mode, which meant he found a boundless source of energy and amusement at nearly everything around him. The concert itself turned out to be actually starring a pair of artists that Eric briefly introduced him to. He hadn’t heard of them before, but by the sounds of it, he probably should have. He hadn’t even noticed their names on the ticket, or the fact that it was actually their show, he had been so focused on Eric. He smiled politely and shook their hands and pointedly ignored the looks they gave each other at being introduced to him. It had surprised him that they didn’t have the same last name, the looks they exchanged screamed ‘married’ to him, but maybe they did things differently in the music world.

“Where’s Jason?” The male half of the duo asked. 

Eric frowned, “St Louis. You talked to Luke recently?”

That evidently meant something more than an inquiry about a mutual friend to the guy because he rolled his eyes and excused himself without answering the question. The moment he turned away, the woman went with him, without a word, though she tossed a rather dirty look Kasey’s way. He looked over to Eric with a raised eyebrow, but only got a smirk in return before he rushed off to give Kasey the names of more people he wasn’t going to remember. 

Among those was a group of men that looked like they would fit in better in a motorcycle bar than backstage at a country show, there wasn’t even a cowboy hat among the lot of them. Eric named them, one by one, and indicated their instruments, which at least clued Kasey in that they probably performed with him. Kasey shook each hand in turn and with some surprise thanked a few of them when they complimented his driving style. There were a couple questions about various tracks or drivers he’d raced against and Kasey found himself relieved to be able to talk about a subject he knew well. Even after the DJ started blaring music to all corners of the place, one of Eric’s bandmates--- whose name Kasey couldn’t remember for the life of him--- pulled him aside and continued to ask surprisingly thoughtful questions. For a moment, Kasey could forget that he was in such a foreign environment. He even lost track of where Eric had gone for a moment.

But that spell was broken when someone announced that Eric had five minutes to stage and his band quickly excused themselves to do whatever it was that musicians do before they perform. He found himself wishing he had a pre-race checklist to go over himself. Instead, Kasey was standing alone in the middle of a bustling room, at a completely loss as to what to do with himself. He moved out of people’s way and wondered if he should try to find a way to wherever he seat was. A hand on his back made him jump a mile. He was pretty sure he hadn’t made a sound, but Eric laughed at him anyway. 

“Lemme show you were you can watch me best from.” Eric’s voice was right beside his ear, which was bad enough, but when he turned to look at him, he had pushed his glasses up onto of his head and his eyes grabbed Kasey the second he met them. He was speechless for a moment and unsuccessfully fought back the shiver, but followed Eric to what appeared to be a pile of black and chrome boxes. Empty boxes, by the look of them. Most of them were on wheels. Eric pointed to one that wasn’t. “You can sit on it.” 

Kasey felt a little silly at the idea of perching up on a box, but Eric’s look was such that he knew he had to at least try it. He hoisted himself up on the crate and looked out towards the stage. He was right, he had a perfect view of the empty microphone stand where he assumed Eric would be standing and the height of the box cleared all the equipment that would have blocked him had he been standing. He looked down at him, “Okay, this is a good seat.” 

Eric laughed, “I know.” He handed him a red plastic cup, “I know you said you didn’t want any, but you do. You cain’t watch my show without a drink. I’d offer you a smoke, too, but I’m bettin’ you don’t know how.” 

Kasey frowned. He couldn’t believe how often Eric made a comment that was utterly true in a way that made Kasey want to deny it, forcefully. He didn’t smoke anything, he never had. No matter what people may think, he was an athlete and smoking didn’t go along with his plan. Besides, his reflexes were his best asset and anything that might dampen them, even a little, was completely off limits. He didn’t even really drink that often, he didn’t like the loss of control alcohol brought. Though looking down at Eric from his perch on the case, the loss of control _he_ brought was easily a hundred times worse and he was gladly accepting that risk. For some reason. 

He took the cup and smelled it. Whiskey. “Is that all you drink?” He asked.

“You rather have a beer?”

“No, this is fine.” He said and Eric smiled. He told himself he wouldn’t drink it, but he’d find somewhere to stash it so he didn’t have to admit that to Eric.

An announcement told them that Eric was wanted on stage right away. Kasey watched him transform suddenly, as if his fairy godmother had waved a magic wand over him. His smile became a smirk, the dark glasses slipped into place and that baseball cap with the logo he’d never seen before went on. In mere seconds, he had transformed from someone Kasey was becoming increasingly comfortable with to the tough and slightly creepy guy he had met and briefly feared in lockup, attitude and all. 

Eric flashed Kasey a very directed smirk and turned for the stage. Kasey watched him and was surprised when he turned and sauntered back towards him, stopping just at his feet. He tugged on Kasey’s leg until he jumped down from the box, leaving his cup balanced on another box. Eric curled Kasey’s shirt around his fist and yanked him close against his body. All thoughts completely escaped Kasey’s mind and he suddenly found it very difficult to breathe. He had never been this close to the other man before and his heart was racing. 

One of Kasey’s hands somehow found its way to rest on Eric’s hip and he very much like the smirk that elicited from him. His fingers slide over the thin material of his t-shirt, but didn’t push further than that. He tried to meet his eyes, but frowned at the sunglasses blocking the view. He reached his free hand up, pushing the glasses on top of Eric’s head and he was glad when Eric didn’t protest. Whatever may happen next, he needed to see those eyes. Even if they made his stomach flip-flop, he held tight to them. He wondered if he should be saying something, but he didn’t have that kind of higher order thinking skills at the moment. 

It didn’t matter anyway because less than a second passed before Kasey felt Eric’s lips on his. One second he was pondering what would happen next and the following second, he could not compose a single thought if his life depended on it. In the following second, the world lit on fire and all he could do was hold on and see what burning felt like. Eric very much lead the kiss which was perfectly fine with Kasey because he wasn’t exactly sure which way was up no matter what he should be doing with his tongue. But damn if Eric knew exactly what to do. If he could think, he would have wondered how Eric knew exactly how he liked it. Or how he managed to kiss him and still hold his eyes, because he was quite sure he was doing both. 

The kiss lasted mere seconds, but eons could have passed and Kasey wouldn’t have known. Even after Eric broke the kiss and let go of his t-shirt, Kasey hadn’t regained enough sense to move a muscle. It took a few seconds to realize his eyes were closed and he snapped them open. By that time, Eric had moved three steps towards the stage, but he was still looking at Kasey, still smirking in a way that sent tingling sensations throughout his body. He probably should have said something, but his liquefied brain couldn’t make coherent thoughts, no matter words. 

Eric smirked even more at his expression. “Enjoy the show.” And with that, he turned and bounded onto the stage to the loud cheer of the huge crowd. Eric was well into his second song before Kasey realized he was still standing in the exact same spot and the backstage crew was starting to stare at him. 

He managed to get himself back up to his perch by the time Eric had stopped singing and began to flirt with the audience. The words were lost on Kasey though, he was still thinking about how his lips had felt. He never took his eyes off Eric once through the whole set, though he barely processed the music. Once, Eric had glanced over to him, though Kasey was pretty sure he couldn’t see him from where he was, he knew where to look. He tipped his glasses up, giving Kasey a glimpse of those deadly eyes, before putting them back into place and turning back to the crowd to whip them into some kind of loud frenzy. Kasey hadn’t realized he’d drained the cup of whiskey until after he did it. 

Kasey didn’t register that the set was coming to a close until he felt Eric yet again tugging on his leg. He jumped down again but regretted it because the look on Eric’s face, the expression that he could read even without seeing his eyes, was utterly overwhelming. If it wasn’t a cliché, he would have said Eric was glowing. There was something about the performance that had turned on every switch the man had and it was radiating off his whole body. Kasey found himself wondering if he got like that after every show and if he did, how he kept from spontaneously combusting. He wondered if maybe he should wear his fire suit when he saw him perform next time. He also wondered why he was assuming there was going to be a next time.

As if he was reading his mind, Eric smirked, “This night ain’t over yet. Not by a longshot.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The show was fun, but after the show was even more so.

Kasey would not have called himself sheltered or innocent before that night (despite the fact that nearly everyone else did), but maybe he should have. It wasn’t that Eric showed him things that surprised him too much, at least nothing that he hadn’t actually done before, but the ease with which Eric could do these things with someone that was a stranger less than twenty-four hours before amazed Kasey. When Eric turned his focus on him, there were times that he could forget that he hadn’t known him his whole life and hadn’t shared every thought and feeling he’d ever had with him. The way his eyes bore into Kasey’s very soul had been unnerving at first, but as the evening wore on, he got used to it. Which was surprising enough, but he also found that he craved it in every moment Eric looked away from him. 

After his set was over, Eric had taken Kasey back into his dressing room. He had tossed his baseball cap and glasses into an open case and peeled off his sweat soaked t-shirt. Kasey found his breath catching in his throat, staring at the man in front of him. That he was beautiful went without saying, he’d noticed that long before, but in that moment, it was as if he were baring himself to him, in a way that was at once extremely sexual and deeply personal. Without the glasses and the hat, he was back to the man that Kasey was falling for, not the rockstar. He didn’t know what to do.

In his professional career, he was slowly getting to hear the term ‘inexperienced’ less and less as he proved himself more and more, but in his personal life, the term was glaringly accurate. He’d gone through high school with very few experiences of that nature, but not utterly lacking in them either. When he’d left home, Shanon had watched him like a hawk. If anyone had gotten within fifty feet of him, she knew exactly what they wanted. And if that was anything of a romantic nature, she glared them down until they ran. To be honest, Kasey hadn’t minded that too much back then. He had one thing on his mind and it wasn’t _that_.

But now, he was regretting a lot of that inexperience. (He refused to think of it as innocence. A man his age could not be innocent.) He could tell that Eric had gone through that phase so many years ago, he probably didn’t even remember it. And he knew he wouldn’t expect it from Kasey either, or like it if he did discover it. So Kasey did everything in his power not to look like the somewhat awestruck teenager he felt like half the time. He had a feeling he wasn’t all that successful with the attempt, but he hoped Eric would at least give him points for the attempt. The thought made him smile.

“You ain’t a model, Kahne.” 

Eric’s voice startled him out of his thoughts, “Uh… what?”

“You’re standin’ there like you’re waitin’ for someone to take your picture. You’re workin’ that fuckin’ Disney Princess smile, but you ain’t doin’ much with it.” 

Kasey blinked a few times and his smile faded, “I… what?” _God, Kahne, so smooth._

Eric laughed loudly, shaking his head at something that Kasey could only image was some kind of inside joke in his own head, because he didn’t see what he’d said that was all that funny. Not that he minded, he did love to watch Eric laugh, no matter if it was at his own expense. Well, maybe it was a small matter. He didn’t find himself laughing along with him. 

Eric only stopped laughing when he noticed Kasey’s expression. He moved closer, resting a hand on Kasey’s hip, instantly setting half of his body on fire. And as if that wasn’t enough, he leaned down, to speak real quiet and close to his ear. “Aw, ease up, baby. Unclench. You need more Jack? You look like you do.”

Kasey did all he could to keep standing on both feet and to not melt into a small puddle of something utterly embarrassing. _Baby_?! No, no, no. He was not a teenager with a crush, he should not be reacting this way to this man. But, he reasoned with himself somehow, that Eric was trying to get this kind of reaction, so he wouldn’t be turned off if he received it. For what seemed like the first time in a very long time, Kasey cared what would turn someone on or off. The butterflies in his stomach were having a conga party, but he tried to focus on anything but that feeling. 

“I… I’m good. But…. There is something I _do_ need….” He felt so proud of himself for getting that whole sentence out considering his head was spinning and Eric was sliding his hand up under the hem of his t-shirt and resting it skin against skin in a way he was sure would leave scorch marks. The fact that he had to look _up_ at him didn’t help matters. Kasey had never felt particularly short, but he was feeling every one of the inches different their heights were.

“Yeah? What’s that you need? ‘Sides to get your hands on me.” Damn him, he was nearly purring his words in a way that should have seemed cheesy and yet was so completely and successfully seductive that Kasey fully lost the ability to speak. He did manage to move one of his hands to Eric’s shoulder, slowly exploring the bare skin he found there. The low sound Eric made in the back of his throat coursed through Kasey’s body, sparking his nerve endings in a way he was sure nothing else could. Eric smirked, leaning down even closer, giving him better access, “Yeah, that’s better. Don’t be nervous.”

_Easy for him to say._ But Kasey was determined to follow that order. His hand continued to explore along his shoulder and down to his back and across to the back of his neck. He watched Eric’s eyes the whole time, and the pleased expression was all the incentive he needed to continue. He slid his hand up into Eric’s hair and was rewarded with a low moan that shot right to Kasey’s core. Eric pulled him closer at that, so their bodies were pressed tight together and before Kasey could fully register that sensation, his word exploded again. 

It wasn’t as if Kasey had never kissed anyone before, but the way Eric kissed him made him feel exactly that way. He’d been hit by cars going in huge excesses of one hundred miles an hour but the jolt of Eric’s lips against his own made those crashes feel like being hit with a pillow. And what was worse, something in the back of his mind was telling him that Eric was being gentle when he kissed him, that he was easing him into it, that his kisses promised even more electric shocks later, if he earned them. The thought didn’t bother him, though, he wanted to earn them. He wanted that more than anything he could think of in that moment. 

Eric’s arms wrapped around his waist at the same time Kasey’s other hand joined the one tangled in his hair and they never broke the kiss for a second. Kasey’s whole world in that moment was that kiss. The building could have collapsed around them and he wouldn’t have even noticed, no matter cared it happened, as long as Eric didn’t move his lips away. He had been asked more than once if driving in circles ever made him dizzy and he always laughed the question off, of course not. Who knew that standing perfectly still could make him dizzier than the human brain should be able to take? And that he’d love every second of it.

Kasey had no idea how long the kiss had lasted and he didn’t care to mark time. When Eric broke the kiss and reality came flooding back, Kasey had to stop himself from asking what lap he was on. He didn’t move his hands from his hair, but he did open his eyes. Just like the last time Eric had kissed him, he had been sure he was looking him in the eyes as he’d done it, but only later realized his eyes were closed. That didn’t surprise him, he saw Eric’s eyes when he closed his even when he wasn’t pressed up this close against him. 

As Eric straightened up, his smirk somehow became even more dangerous, “That’s what you needed, wasn’t it?”

Kasey hoped he wasn’t expecting an answer because the power of human speech was far above his brain function at the moment. He was pretty sure he was smiling though, or at least some sort of expression that indicated he liked what had just happened. Eric’s laugh just made Kasey blush even hotter. Eric brought a hand up to his cheek to illustrate the point, but all that did was kindle the fire in his cheeks.

“Cain’t tell ya the last time I saw someone blush this much.” Eric’s tone was teasing, which made it even worse. 

“It’s hot in here.” Kasey knew it was stupid to say even before he said it, but he had to defend himself somehow and reason wasn’t his strong suit at the moment. 

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, that was exactly the window Eric was looking for, “You’re right, it is. You best take off somma those clothes to cool down.” 

Kasey cursed himself for walking right into that. He didn’t have a witty reply to it, but that was hardly surprising, considering earlier he had praised himself mentally for just getting a whole sentence out. He bit his lower lip, trying to figure out what to say back to that, but he didn’t get much time to think before Eric tugged the hem of his t-shirt up. Kasey supposed he could have protested, but he found he didn’t want to, so he let go of Eric’s hair long enough for him to pull his shirt up over his head. Mere seconds later, his hands were back in Eric’s hair and Eric’s were back around his waist. 

He didn’t need to think about where things were going to go from there because Eric was very comfortable taking charge of everything and he seemed content for the moment to melt Kasey’s brain with his mouth, shifting it from kissing his lips to kissing the side of his neck and his bare shoulder. If Kasey was supposed to do anything besides moan, he wasn’t holding up his end of the bargain, but again Eric didn’t seem to mind. Kasey was glad to be able to hold on to Eric as he moved his kisses to any patch of bare skin he could find, because much to his surprise the expression ‘weak-kneed’ was not just an expression and Kasey wasn’t completely sure he could stand on his own. In fact, he teetered a little when Eric pulled back to look at him. 

“There’s a couch in there. You’ll be more comfortable.” Eric’s expression was much softer than Kasey expected, a smile not a smirk. He didn’t feel like he was putting a move on him as much as he was genuinely concerned that Kasey would topple over if he kept making him stand up. To be honest, he may very well have. Eric was exceptionally talented with those lips. 

Kasey nodded and tried to make a sound close to ‘mmhmm’, but he was pretty sure it just came out as ‘mmmm’, which wasn’t too far from the sounds he’d already been making. Lucky for him, Eric spoke melted-brain because he stepped back from him enough to guide him into a room connected to the dressing room. Kasey hadn’t even noticed there was a door on that side of the room, but Eric pushed it open to reveal what was probably meant to be a lounge for whatever star was using the dressing room. The only thing Kasey registered in the room was the leather couch that was blessedly long and wide enough to be comfortable for both of them.

Before Kasey could wonder how it would work logistically, Eric had him on his back on the couch and he was perched over him. Though he was sure he must have, he could not actively remember lying down. It seemed that one moment he was standing and the next moment, Eric was smirking down at him and he realized that another advantage of the couch was that it made them the same height, which meeting Eric’s eyes, he was beginning to realize all the implications of this. He didn’t have long to ponder it before Eric’s lips met his and all semblance of thought was once again gone.


End file.
